Reprise
by Sesamina
Summary: Set in the future after the new boss tells Grigsby to decide between job and love. My take for one possible solution.


**A/N:** I totally shamelessly stole that idea from another tv-show I love. Because I want my happy ending and other shows can make it work, too. There. Bruno, take a look at CSI:NY or JAG. Hint, hint. This is all based on spoilers, because I don't know anything about Miss Hightower or how she'll react, I leave her out of this.

Ficlit, I'm sorry, I know I promised a different story first but this demanded to be written immediately. I blame Flyleaf with Again for this. Their new album is _amazing_. This little piece came to me in the shower this morning, so tell me what you think. Don't know how many parts it'll have, we'll see.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned it, I'd share it with ficlit, she's more creative and faster when it comes to write stuff down.

**Reprise**

They've been lying awake for nights after Hightower's ultimatum. Discussing their options, facing each other when they talked about their love. Facing away when one of them said it would be better if the other left. Talking, tossing, staying quiet, turning, staring, glaring, whispering, shouting and five thousand other reactions and nothing brought them the one step closer to the resolve both of them craved.

Staying together or working together.

But not both. Not the ultimate goal.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't make that decision. She didn't _want_ to make that decision. Grace loved that man more than anything and she wanted to be with him every minute of every single day. She _needed_ to keep working with him. Who else would keep him save in one of his macho moods?

Grace desperately needed someone else to make that decision for her. Anyone, so she could blame them if everything went down in hellish flames. But there was no one she could trap into taking that burden for her. She wasn't six years old anymore, she needed to stick to her own decisions.

All these thoughts came back to her one morning when she was sitting in front of her computer typing at a report for nearly two hours now. She couldn't concentrate. Every time she had finished that one sentence, she read it over and deleted it again. And again. And again. She had forgotten how many times she rewrote the whole damn thing. Only to see the name Rigsby on her screen let her drift away. Beautiful pictures of an ideal paradise invaded her mind. Him wearing a silver wedding band, matching hers, that glinted in the sunlight and felt cool when he grazed her bare shoulder while picking up a piece of paperwork from her desk with his other hand. Ideal because this job was where she belonged, paradise because the love of her life was with her. Even teaching her.

She couldn't give up the work at CBI. She'd starve to death inside at any other job. She just knew it. It was the hardest thing for her to even imagine working somewhere else, with anyone else. This was her team, her friends – her family.

Her conscious nagged at her. That annoying little bastard. _What about Wayne? What about love conquering all? What about your believe guiding you through this? What about…?_ SHUT UP!

One thing was clear though. She loved and needed Wayne more than her job. She told him so, too. And she told him another thing last night, her determination shining clear on her face, even in the dark. She was not leaving this town. No matter the final outcome, a long distance relationship was totally out of the question.

So, when they came into the office a few hours ago they were grumpy and tired, both physically and emotionally. And the worst thing? Jane noticed immediately.

Lying on his couch, hands intertwined on his stomach, one of his baby blues opened lazily when he heard their footsteps. He didn't say anything. Didn't need to, he only raised one eyebrow and both agents knew he was onto them.

Grace lowered her head and muttered a sarcastic "great" under her breath, only wanting to loose herself in some boring paperwork to bring some distance between her and the stupid decision.

Wayne just shook his head at the consultant, hoping he would let it rest in peace for at least a little while.

Their mood was apparently infectious. The whole office was quiet, save the sound of fingers typing away on keyboards. No one was talking, not even one phone rang the entire morning. It was an eerie silence. But it fit the situation.

Lunch came with a murder, taking the minds of the gang somewhere else for a moment. Except for the always nosy Patrick Jane. He just watched the happy couple. And watched. Openly. From time to time he was downright staring. Trying to get into their minds, probably. But never saying one word, thankfully. And one thing scared Grace a bit, Jane hadn't smirked at all today. Normally he would find something, anything, to smirk about. If he just annoyed Lisbon to his amusement. Or enjoyed baffling a family member of a murder victim. Nothing so far.

Not that thirteen stab wounds in the back of a seventeen year old would be smirkworthy. She was found like that in the mansion of her parents by the maid. Neatly tucked in into her princess like four-poster bed complete with white satin curtains. Not one drop of blood in sight. Evidently murdered elsewhere and brought back to make her look sound asleep.

It worked. For a while they were all brooding over the case, sitting on the long table at the back wall of the office. All but Jane, he lay comfortably on the couch. Eyes closed.

Lisbon looked over to him nearly every fifteen seconds, trying to ascertain if he was sleeping, dozing or only pretending to not do anything at all. She found his behavior a little odd. Especially when he came to her right before lunch requesting a copy of the rule book, the extended and newly updated version if possible. She had frowned and asked him why he of all people needed it with him ignoring practically every word it said and generally seeing rules as kind suggestions. His answer confused her even more.

"I'm looking for an answer."

She told him it was only available as a computer file and he would need to download it from the main server. He nodded and started going back out. Only as an afterthought did he turn back when he reached the door and invited her for lunch. It reminded her of Columbo. She was pretty much expecting him to say "ah, one more thing, before I forget it…"

Afternoon came and they weren't any closer to finding the killer. Jane had vanished for a little over two hours, only telling Lisbon he needed some fresh air and new tea. Everyone looked up when he came back, smiling satisfied irritating the entire office with his mood change. Falling happily into the cushions of the couch he smirked smugly at Lisbon and winked into the direction of Grace and Rigsby.

"I found the solution."


End file.
